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No matter who the next pope is, US Catholics stand ‘at a crossroads’ − a sociologist explains

  • Written by Maureen K. Day, Research Fellow, Center for Religion and Civic Culture, University of Southern California
imageParishioners attend a memorial Mass in honor of Pope Francis at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in Los Angeles on April 21, 2025.Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images

More than 130 cardinals entered the Sistine Chapel on May 7, 2025. With the announcement “Extra omnes” – “all out” – the doors have been...

Read more: No matter who the next pope is, US Catholics stand ‘at a crossroads’ − a sociologist explains

Even with Pope Leo XIV in place, US Catholics stand ‘at a crossroads’

  • Written by Maureen K. Day, Research Fellow, Center for Religion and Civic Culture and Institute for Advanced Catholic Studies, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences
imageParishioners attend a memorial Mass in honor of Pope Francis at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in Los Angeles on April 21, 2025.Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images

Shortly after 6 P.M. in Rome, the longed-for sight appeared above the Sistine Chapel: white smoke.

Over the course of a day and a half, the more than 130 members of the...

Read more: Even with Pope Leo XIV in place, US Catholics stand ‘at a crossroads’

India-Pakistan strikes: 5 essential reads on decades of rivalry and tensions over Kashmir

  • Written by Matt Williams, Senior International Editor
imageIndian paramilitary soldiers patrol a street in Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir on May 4, 2025. Firdous Nazir/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Indian airstrikes deep into Pakistan and retaliatory shelling across the border have put the subcontinent on edge once again, with many fearing a further escalation between the two nuclear neighbors.

At least 26 people...

Read more: India-Pakistan strikes: 5 essential reads on decades of rivalry and tensions over Kashmir

Was it a stone tool or just a rock? An archaeologist explains how scientists can tell the difference

  • Written by John K. Murray, Ph.D. Candidate in Anthropology, Institute of Human Origins, Arizona State University
imageStone tools are deliberately made by the hands of hominins, like these worked on by the author.John K. Murray

Have you ever found yourself in a museum’s gallery of human origins, staring at a glass case full of rocks labeled “stone tools,” muttering under your breath, “How do they know it’s not just any old rock?”...

Read more: Was it a stone tool or just a rock? An archaeologist explains how scientists can tell the difference

AI isn’t replacing student writing – but it is reshaping it

  • Written by Jeanne Beatrix Law, Professor of English, Kennesaw State University
imageStudies have shown that many students are using AI to brainstorm, learn new information and revise their work.krisanapong detraphiphat/Moment via Getty Images

I’m a writing professor who sees artificial intelligence as more of an opportunity for students, rather than a threat.

That sets me apart from some of my colleagues, who fear that AI is...

Read more: AI isn’t replacing student writing – but it is reshaping it

Spacecraft can ‘brake’ in space using drag − advancing craft agility, space safety and planetary missions

  • Written by Piyush Mehta, Associate Professor of Space Systems, West Virginia University
imagePlanetary space probes such as Mars Odyssey use a technique called aerobraking to save fuel. NASA/JPL

When you put your hand out the window of a moving car, you feel a force pushing against you called drag. This force opposes a moving vehicle, and it’s part of the reason why your car naturally slows to a stop if you take your foot off the gas...

Read more: Spacecraft can ‘brake’ in space using drag − advancing craft agility, space safety and planetary...

Contaminated milk from one plant in Illinois sickened thousands with ‘Salmonella’ in 1985 − as outbreaks rise in the US, lessons from this one remain true

  • Written by Michael Petros, Clinical Assistant Professor of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, University of Illinois Chicago
imageA valve that mixed raw milk with pasteurized milk at Hillfarm Dairy may have been the source of contamination. This was the milk processing area of the plant.AP Photo/Mark Elias

In 1985, contaminated milk in Illinois led to a Salmonella outbreak that infected hundreds of thousands of people across the United States and caused at least 12 deaths. At...

Read more: Contaminated milk from one plant in Illinois sickened thousands with ‘Salmonella’ in 1985 − as...

North Korean spy drama in China may signal Beijing’s unease over growing Pyongyang-Moscow ties

  • Written by Linggong Kong, Ph.D. Candidate in Political Science, Auburn University

Chinese authorities in the northeastern city of Shenyang reportedly arrested a North Korean IT specialist in late April 2025, accusing him of stealing drone technology secrets.

The suspect, apparently linked to North Korea’s main missile development agency, was part of a wider network operating in China, according to the story, which first...

Read more: North Korean spy drama in China may signal Beijing’s unease over growing Pyongyang-Moscow ties

Measles could again become widespread as cases surge worldwide

  • Written by Rebecca Schein, Assistant Professor of Infectious Disease Pediatrics, Michigan State University
imageMeasles is one of the most infectious diseases on the planet. Kateryna Kon/Science Photo Library via Getty Images

Globally, measles is on the rise across the U.S., Canada, Mexico, South America and parts of Europe. In 2025, North and South America saw 11 times more cases than during the same period last year. In Europe, measles rates are at their...

Read more: Measles could again become widespread as cases surge worldwide

Repealing the estate tax could create headaches for the rich – as well as worsen inequality

  • Written by Reid Kress Weisbord, Distinguished Professor of Law and Judge Norma Shapiro Scholar, Rutgers University - Newark
imageAs it stands, only a tiny fraction of America's wealthy are ever subjected to the estate tax. Krisanapong Detraphiphat/Getty Images

Nothing is more certain than death and taxes, Benjamin Franklin famously declared. And, since 1916, the federal government has imposed an estate tax on the transfer of property owned at death.

But the Trump...

Read more: Repealing the estate tax could create headaches for the rich – as well as worsen inequality

More Articles ...

  1. Indonesia’s ‘thousand friends, zero enemies’ approach sees President Subianto courting China and US
  2. How to manage financial stress in uncertain times
  3. Buddha’s foster mother played a key role in the orphaned prince’s life – and is a model for Buddhists on Mother’s Day
  4. Why ‘The Calling of Saint Matthew’ by Caravaggio was Pope Francis’ favorite painting − an art historian explains
  5. From the moment he steps onto the balcony, each pope signals his style of leadership – here’s how Pope Leo XIV’s appearance compares with Pope Francis’ first
  6. A new pope’s first appearance on St. Peter’s balcony is rich with symbols − and Francis’ decision to rein in the pomp spoke volumes
  7. How the US can mine its own critical minerals − without digging new holes
  8. Can learning cursive help kids read better? Some policymakers think it’s worth a try
  9. Religious charter schools threaten to shift more money away from traditional public schools – and the Supreme Court is considering this idea
  10. Even judges appointed by Trump are ruling against him
  11. Trump targets NPR and PBS as public and nonprofit media account for a growing share of local news coverage
  12. Peace Corps isn’t just about helping others − it’s a key part of US public diplomacy
  13. Being honest about using AI at work makes people trust you less, research finds
  14. Predictive policing AI is on the rise − making it accountable to the public could curb its harmful effects
  15. Ancient Mars may have had a carbon cycle − a new study suggests the red planet may have once been warmer, wetter and more favorable for life
  16. Running with a stroller: 2 biomechanics researchers on how it affects your form − and risk of injury
  17. Pope Francis encouraged Christian-Muslim dialogue and helped break down stereotypes
  18. Worsening allergies aren’t your imagination − windy days create the perfect pollen storm
  19. National security advisers manage decision-making as advocates or honest brokers
  20. A pope of the Americas: What Francis meant to 2 continents
  21. In Yemen, Trump risks falling into an ‘airpower trap’ that has drawn past US presidents into costly wars
  22. Teachers and librarians are among those least likely to die by suicide − public health researchers offer insights on what this means for other professions
  23. Hurricane forecasts are more accurate than ever – NOAA funding cuts could change that, with a busy storm season coming
  24. How was the Earth built?
  25. Philly’s forgotten history as a hub of anarchism with a thriving radical Yiddish press
  26. Kilmar Abrego Garcia’s wrongful deportation case is more about individual rights than the Trump administration’s foreign policy
  27. What is the biggest gaffe, blooper or blunder that a recent president has made? It may depend on what your definition of ‘is’ is
  28. The Women’s Health Initiative has shaped women’s health for over 30 years, but its future is uncertain
  29. Trump and many GOP lawmakers want to end all funding for NPR and PBS − unraveling a US public media system that took a century to build
  30. How millions of people can watch the same video at the same time – a computer scientist explains the technology behind streaming
  31. A Michigan research professor explains how NIH funding works − and what it means to suddenly lose a grant
  32. A law seeks to protect children from sex offenders − 20 years later, the jury is still out
  33. When presidents try to make peace: What Trump could learn from Teddy Roosevelt, Carter, Clinton and his own first term
  34. Children in military families face unique psychological challenges, and the barriers to getting help add to the strain
  35. Despite Supreme Court setback, children’s lawsuits against climate change continue
  36. Whether GDP swings up or down, there are limits to what it says about the economy and your place in it
  37. Some ‘Star Wars’ stories have already become reality
  38. Fleeting fireflies illuminate Colorado summer nights − and researchers are watching
  39. What makes people flourish? A new survey of more than 200,000 people across 22 countries looks for global patterns and local differences
  40. Deporting international students risks making the US a less attractive destination, putting its economic engine at risk
  41. As heated tobacco products reenter the US market, evidence on their safety remains sparse – new study
  42. What causes RFK Jr.’s strained and shaky voice? A neurologist explains this little-known disorder
  43. Is a faith-based charter school a threat to religious freedom, or a necessity to uphold it? The weighty decision lies with the Supreme Court
  44. Guns in America: A liberal gun-owning sociologist offers 5 observations to understand America’s culture of firearms
  45. Terrorists weigh risks to their reputation when deciding which crises to exploit − new research
  46. The woman who turned the Met Gala into the biggest party of the year
  47. Pandas and politics − from World War II to the Cold War, zoos have always been ideological
  48. The legal limits of Trump’s crackdown on sanctuary cities like Philadelphia
  49. Trump seeks to reshape how schools discipline students
  50. In the $250B influencer industry, being a hater can be the only way to rein in bad behavior